Sistership sailing voyage is an empowerment adventure

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Michelle Boroski (from left), Johanna Gabbard, Janice Mason and Sherri Smith will be sailing 750 miles in the Race to Alaska. The crew is trying to inspire women over 50 to continue pursuing adventures. Boroski and Gabbard are Ventura residents.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO The Sistership crew, which includes Ventura's Michelle Boroski (pink shirt) and Johanna Gabbard (far left rower), met for the first time last weekend to practice for the 750-mile Race to Alaska.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Ventura resident Michelle Boroski is the captain of the Sistership, which will be sailing 750 miles in the Race to Alaska with an all-female crew over the age of 50. Boroski is an experience sailor.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO The Sistership crew, which includes Ventura's Michelle Boroski (pink shirt) and Johanna Gabbard (far left rower), begin the final preparations for the 750-mile Race to Alaska, which begins Thursday.

It started as an adventure and evolved into a mission.

Ventura's Michelle Boroski and Johanna Gabbard are attempting to sail 750 miles over the next few days in the Race to Alaska.

Their crew consists of four women in their fifties, yet they feel like it's a cast of thousands guiding the boat they have named Sistership.

'It's really about empowering women in our age group to show they can still do these kind of things,' Boroski, 58, said. 'We want them to believe they are not done competing or challenging themselves. We want them to be inspired to keep pushing.'

In its second year, the Race to Alaska is billed as North America's longest human and wind-powered race. It begins Thursday and most competitors need at least five days to finish.

The mix of sailors, rowers and kayakers are traveling from Port Townsend, Washington, to Ketchikan, Alaska, without the assistance of motors or supply drops.

Last year, 35 teams started the race and 15 finished. This year, 65 teams are entered. The winner receives $10,000.

'It's like the Iditarod, on a boat, with a chance of drowning, being run down by a freighter or being eaten by a grizzly bear,' the event's tongue-in-cheek website explains. 'There are squalls, killer whales, tidal currents that run upwards of 20 miles an hour and some of the most beautiful scenery on God's green earth.'

Boroski, a physician's assistant at Kaiser Permanente, is the captain of Sistership. An experienced sailor and former river raft guide, Boroski holds a Master Captain's license.

She has delivered boats throughout the Pacific, Caribbean and Great Lakes. Attempting to navigate the inside passage to Alaska took root last year when Boroski saw a flier for the event while visiting Port Townsend.

'At first I thought it was crazy. The boats had no motors and some of them were really tiny. But the more I started thinking about it, the more interested I became,' Boroski said. 'I followed the race every day online and watched the updates. I sort of got the bug.'

Gabbard, 56, was immediately on board with the idea. A member of the Santa Clara High Athletic Hall of Fame, Gabbard played basketball at Long Beach State.

She joined the Army after college, spending 10 years on active duty and 20 more in the reserves.

'This really appealed to me because women over 50 don't really have a whole lot of role models and they don't really see people doing these kind of things,' said Gabbard, a physical therapist at Kaiser. 'They don't see people their age doing adventure racing or being physically strong and I wanted to make this into more of a campaign than just a simple race.'

Even before the crew set sail, Sistership endured some bumpy waters.

The boat Boroski purchased for the race needed more expensive upgrades and repairs than originally envisioned.

Over the last few months, Boroski has replaced her entire original crew. Two members dropped out in March and April because they couldn't commit the time.

Once Boroski found two replacements, the third member pulled out three weeks ago because of a medical condition.

Suddenly, Gabbard went from an administrative role working behind the scenes to a place on the boat during the race.

Although she's sailed before, Gabbard has never attempted anything this ambitious.

'I wasn't raising my hand at the beginning. But after all they have gone through, I didn't want to see the team not compete,' Gabbard said. 'I am pretty fit and work out all the time so I feel like I am capable of joining them. I'll do whatever I can to help make this succeed.'

Although the crew didn't sail together for the first time until last weekend, Boroski remains confident in their ability.

The other two crew members bring complementary strengths. Sherry Smith, 54, is a sailor and triathlete from Sausalito, and Janice Mason, 56, is a former Olympic rower from Canada.

'They are both great assets to the boat,' Boroski said. 'Sherry is very involved in the San Francisco racing scene and Janice is a true outdoor adventurist. She has pushed herself to the extreme by rowing in uncomfortable conditions for long distances.'

The Sistership movement raised nearly $25,000 to help fund the trip and provide scholarships for selected girls programs. The wide variety of donations has been a motivating force.

'It's been 15-fold of what I expected. I don't even know half the people who are following us on Facebook,' Boroski said. 'There are people from Arizona and the East Coast and even some in South America. I've received letters from women all over the place. They are following us and cheering us on.'

Although purely coincidental, the Sistership crew views the start date of the event as a bit of destiny.

June 23 is the 44th anniversary of Title IX, the federal law that opened the floodgates for girls to participate in sports.

Having witnessed the benefits of the landmark legislation, the women are trying to be a beacon of its enduring impact.

'I feel like this is a success even before we get on the boat,' Gabbard said. 'Just by the reaction we have received, I feel like we have already empowered women and made people aware women our age can do these things. It would be nice to make a good showing, but that was never our main goal.'